Türkiye
Türkiye formally launched its first international assistance programme in 1985, focused on institutional capacity building in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2011, Türkiye hosted the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, culminating in the Istanbul Programme of Action. Since 2018, Türkiye has been hosting the United Nations Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries, providing funding and premises for the new institution in Gebze.
The volume of Türkiye’s development assistance has increased significantly over the past five years. Türkiye is among the top 10 providers of development co-operation globally, and development co-operation remains an integral part of its proactive foreign policy. Türkiye’s total official development assistance (ODA) (USD 7.2 billion, preliminary data) increased in 2022, representing 0.79% of gross national income (GNI).
Find the methodological notes behind the profile here.
Türkiye’s vision for development co-operation is primarily based on tailoring its expertise and experience to the specific context and needs of its partner countries, while also assisting fragile populations affected by conflict, emergencies and disasters. The Turkish International Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) is a public entity with a dedicated budget under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. In addition to implementing Turkish bilateral projects and programmes, TIKA plays a key co-ordination role for all Turkish stakeholders involved in development co-operation, including line ministries, public institutions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the private sector. In its bilateral co-operation, TIKA works in more than 150 countries, providing technical assistance for institutional capacity building across the public sector, as well as scholarships for study in Türkiye.
Türkiye carries out development co-operation and humanitarian aid (a large number of refugees from the Syrian Arab Republic in Türkiye) activities in various sectors and geographies. Türkiye’s development aid covers health, education, agriculture, infrastructure, sustainable energy, water resource management, humanitarian aid, and many other sectors. Türkiye focuses its development co-operation on promoting food security and nutrition; addressing unemployment; combating inequality; and advancing a development agenda conscious of the underlying role of peace, the rule of law and governance in achieving development goals. TIKA finances infrastructure projects for irrigation, sanitation and transport projects, schools and hospitals and engages in triangular co-operation projects, including with the private sector. Türkiye conducts development co-operation activities, especially in geographies such as Africa, the Balkans, the Caucasus, the Middle East and Central Asia. Türkiye aims to support the social, economic and environmental development of countries by implementing various projects in these geographies.
Türkiye is an Adherent to the OECD Recommendation of the Council for Development Co-operation Actors on Managing the Risk of Corruption, the OECD Recommendation of the Council on Environmental Assessment of Development Assistance Projects and Programmes, the OECD Recommendation of the Council on Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development, and the OECD Recommendation of the Council on Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas. Learn more about DAC standards.
Türkiye provided USD 7.2 billion (preliminary data) of ODA in 2022 (USD 8.8 billion in constant terms), representing 0.79% of GNI.1 This was an increase of 14.7% in real terms in volume and a decrease in share of GNI from 2021. Prior to 2021, ODA volume overall increased over the past ten years. Türkiye is in line to meet its international commitment of 0.7% ODA/GNI ratio by 2030. Total ODA on a grant-equivalent basis has the same value as net ODA under the cash-flow methodology used in the past, as Türkiye provides only grants.2
Türkiye provided almost all of its ODA bilaterally in 2021. Gross bilateral ODA was 98.9% of total ODA. Türkiye allocated 1.1% of total ODA as core contributions to multilateral organisations.
In 2022, Türkiye provided USD 4.9 million of gross bilateral ODA to Ukraine to respond to the impacts of Russia’s war of aggression.
In 2022, Türkiye USD 0.8 million in ODA for the COVID-19 response.
In 2021, Türkiye provided USD 85.6 million of gross ODA to the multilateral system, a fall of 27% in real terms from 2020. Of this, USD 83.2 million was core multilateral ODA, while non-core contributions were earmarked for a specific country, region, theme or purpose. One hundred per cent was programmatic funding (to pooled funds and specific-purpose programmes and funds).
Ninety-one per cent of Türkiye’s total contributions to multilateral organisations in 2021 was allocated to the UN Secretariat, UN funds and programmes, and other multilateral institutions (in descending order).
The UN system received 78.7% of Türkiye’s multilateral contributions, mainly in the form of core contributions. Out of a total volume of USD 67.4 million to the UN system, the top three UN recipients of Türkiye’s support (core and earmarked contributions) were the UN Secretariat (USD 18.7 million), UNDPO-UN Peacekeeping operations (USD 17.2 million) and FAO (USD 9.2 million).
See the section on Geographic and sectoral focus of ODA for the breakdown of bilateral allocations, including ODA earmarked through the multilateral development system. Learn more about multilateral development finance.
In 2021, Türkiye’s bilateral spending declined compared to the previous year. It provided USD 7.6 billion of gross bilateral ODA (which includes earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations). This represented a decrease of 23% in real terms from 2020. In 2021, Türkiye focused most of its bilateral ODA on SDG1 to end poverty in all its forms everywhere.
In 2021, country programmable aid was 5.3% of Türkiye’s gross bilateral ODA, compared to a non-DAC country average of 46.4%. In-donor refugee costs were USD 58.2 million in 2021, in the same order of magnitude as in 2020, and represented 0.8% of Türkiye’s gross bilateral ODA.
In 2021, Türkiye channelled bilateral ODA through earmarked funding. Technical co-operation made up 2.6% of gross ODA in 2021.
In 2021, Türkiye’s bilateral ODA was primarily focused on the Middle East. USD 6.8 billion was allocated to the Middle East and USD 145.5 million to Asia (excluding the Middle East), accounting respectively for 89.1% and 1.9% of gross bilateral ODA. USD 99.1 million (1.3%) was allocated to Africa. Africa was also the main regional recipient of Türkiye’s earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations.
In 2021, 91.1% of gross bilateral ODA went to Türkiye’s top 10 recipients. Its top 10 recipients are mainly in the Middle East region. The share of gross bilateral ODA that was not allocated by country was 7.7%, with 9.9% of unallocated bilateral ODA spent on refugees in the donor country.
In 2021, the least developed countries (LDCs) received 1.5% of Türkiye’s gross bilateral ODA (USD 116.3 million). This is lower than the non-DAC country average of 13.7%. Türkiye allocated the highest share of gross bilateral ODA (87.7%) to low-income countries other than LDCs in 2021, noting that 7.7% was unallocated by income group. Türkiye allocated 1.9% of gross bilateral ODA to land-locked developing countries in 2021, equal to USD 144.3 million.
Fragile contexts
Support to fragile contexts reached USD 6.9 billion in 2021, representing 90.4% of Türkiye’s gross bilateral ODA. Ninety-eight per cent of this ODA was provided in the form of humanitarian assistance.
Learn more about support to fragile contexts on the States of Fragility platform.
In 2021, less than half of Türkiye’s bilateral ODA was allocated to social infrastructure and services. Investments in this area accounted for 7.1% of bilateral ODA commitments (USD 540.0 million), with a strong focus on support to education (USD 413.9 million), government and civil society (USD 61.9 million) and other social infrastructure (USD 34.2 million). ODA for economic infrastructure and services totalled USD 28.5 million, focusing on communications (USD 26.6 million), transport and storage (USD 0.9 million) and energy (USD 0.9 million). Bilateral humanitarian assistance amounted to USD 6.8 billion (88.9% of bilateral ODA). In 2021, earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations focused on environment protection, water supply and sanitation and health.
TIKA was initially established under Statutory Decree Law 480 as an international technical assistance agency under the authority of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1999, it was moved under the authority of the Prime Minister’s Office, and in 2001, the organisation’s body of rules was enforced with the publication of Law No. 4668 on the “Organization and Tasks of Turkish Cooperation and Development Administration Directorate”. A further Statutory Decree on the Organization and Duties of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency was adopted in 2011 to enable a restructuring of the agency for more flexible and responsive decision-making. In July 2018, TIKA was moved under the authority of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, but retained its status as a public legal entity with a dedicated budget. Today, TIKA implements projects in more than 150 countries, with 62 programme co-ordination offices in 60 countries. In addition to its own activities, TIKA also co-ordinates projects in collaboration with other ministries, NGOs and the private sector. Other public institutions, NGOs and the private sector also implement projects and programmes for Türkiye’s development co-operation.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye: https://www.mfa.gov.tr/default.en.mfa
Türkiye's development co-operation activities: https://www.mfa.gov.tr/turkiye_s-development-cooperation.en.mfa
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA): https://www.tika.gov.tr/en
Turkish Development Assistance Report: https://www.tika.gov.tr/en/publication/list/turkish_development_assistance_reports-24
Member of the OECD since 1961. Not a member of the OECD Development Assistance Committee. Reporting to the OECD since 1990 and reporting activity-level data since 2019 on 2018 activities.
The methodological notes provide further details on the definitions and statistical methodologies applied, including the grant-equivalent methodology, core and earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations, country programmable aid, channels of delivery, bilateral ODA unspecified/unallocated, bilateral allocable aid, the gender equality policy marker, and the environment markers.
Notes
← 1. DAC members adopted the grant-equivalent methodology starting from their reporting of 2019 data as a more accurate way to count the donor effort in development loans. See the methodological notes for further details.
← 2. Non-grants include sovereign loans, multilateral loans, equity investment and loans to the private sector.